Senior director vs chief executive officer

The differences between senior directors and chief executive officers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 8-10 years to become a senior director, becoming a chief executive officer takes usually requires More than 10 years. Additionally, a chief executive officer has an average salary of $192,260, which is higher than the $152,047 average annual salary of a senior director.

The top three skills for a senior director include healthcare, analytics and patients. The most important skills for a chief executive officer are healthcare, patients, and patient care.

Senior director vs chief executive officer overview

	Senior Director	Chief Executive Officer
Yearly salary	$152,047	$192,260
Hourly rate	$73.10	$92.43
Growth rate	10%	6%
Number of jobs	131,871	149,185
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 69%	Bachelor's Degree, 59%
Average age	39	52
Years of experience	10	-

What does a senior director do?

Senior directors are the top management who manage the overall corporate structure of a brand. These executives take responsibility for the planning, operations, and profitability of the company. They direct and control all the functions of businesses. Their jobs cover the advertising, marketing, sales, and promotions of products and services. They are the people behind the tactical and strategic management of every asset of the enterprise through different programs.

What does a chief executive officer do?

A chief executive officer is the overall head of the company's operations. Chief executive officers are responsible for making corporate decisions that would define the company's performance in the market. A chief executive officer must display exceptional leadership and decision-making skills to create business growth and development strategies. The chief executive officers also provide a regular business update to the board regarding the company's status. They should also be able to identify business opportunities and create long-lasting, professional relationships with business partners and other organizations.

Senior director vs chief executive officer salary

Senior directors and chief executive officers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Senior Director	Chief Executive Officer
Average salary	$152,047	$192,260
Salary range	Between $105,000 And $219,000	Between $104,000 And $354,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	Urban Honolulu, HI
Highest paying state	California	Hawaii
Best paying company	Apple	Alecto Healthcare Services LLC
Best paying industry	Pharmaceutical	Start-up

Differences between senior director and chief executive officer education

There are a few differences between a senior director and a chief executive officer in terms of educational background:

	Senior Director	Chief Executive Officer
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 69%	Bachelor's Degree, 59%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Georgia	University of Pennsylvania

Senior director vs chief executive officer demographics

Here are the differences between senior directors' and chief executive officers' demographics:

	Senior Director	Chief Executive Officer
Average age	39	52
Gender ratio	Male, 66.6% Female, 33.4%	Male, 68.5% Female, 31.5%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 3.0% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 8.7% Asian, 8.2% White, 74.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%	Black or African American, 3.8% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 7.9% Asian, 7.8% White, 76.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage	10%	12%

Differences between senior director and chief executive officer duties and responsibilities

Senior director example responsibilities.

Lead the expansion for support of public sector business in EMEA and APAC.
Create and deliver pitch decks, while being task with managing RFP responses.
Organize scrum certification training, lead departmental reorganization around scrum teams and act as scrum coach.
Lead assessment, design, and implementation of operational governance capabilities for the EMEA & ASIA regions.
Manage ongoing ITIL certification program for UK operations as required by government regulation.
Help project managers understand financial responsibilities and lead them in increase product delivery and ROI.

Chief executive officer example responsibilities.

Manage the bidding process by reviewing all RFP and preparing responses.
Manage complex Google, Facebook, SEO/Content, drip email, behavior base emails, and so much more.
Manage and grow Instagram accounts of large and small businesses as well as individual accounts such as models and singers.
Design, execute, and manage the construction and d cor of store location and seasonal windows of old store location.
Develop an IP within the e-Gaming & mobile-gaming world that can achieve ad revenue greater than Google or Facebook potentially combine.
Source and manage contractors for frontend JavaScript development.

Senior director vs chief executive officer skills

Common senior director skills

Healthcare, 6%
Analytics, 6%
Patients, 6%
Portfolio, 5%
Oversight, 5%
Project Management, 5%

Common chief executive officer skills

Healthcare, 13%
Patients, 10%
Patient Care, 8%
Customer Service, 8%
Financial Management, 6%
Oversight, 5%

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Senior Director vs Chief Executive Officer

Updated January 8, 2025

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